Episode Four
(Outside the governor's office, two guards are stood at attention on either side of the doorway. The corridor is quiet, until the Princess, Doctor and Ben come marching up.)
GUARD: Where do you think you're going?
PRINCESS: We're here to speak to Bragen.
GUARD: He's busy at the moment.
DOCTOR: (Holding up his badge) Accord every access.
GUARD: Yes, we know, but–
BEN: Out of our way!
GUARD: You can't go in!
(The Princess and Ben push past the guards and storm into the room with the Doctor behind them. Inside the room, Bragen, now wearing a new sleek dark uniform, rises from behind the governor's desk.)
BRAGEN: What does this intrusion mean?
GUARD: I'm sorry, Bragen. I tried to stop them.
DOCTOR: Intrusion? It's no intrusion. We're just returning the various calls that you made.
BRAGEN: What calls?
(The Princess holds up the letter.)
PRINCESS: This call.
(Bragen, seeing the letter, pauses.)
DOCTOR: This guard tried to tell us you were busy. You're not a bit, are you?
(Bragen sits back down, slowly.)
BRAGEN: All right, I'll see them.
(The guards exit the room, leaving the time travellers alone with Bragen.)
DOCTOR: Oh, what a nice new uniform. Very smart, very smart. (Pointing to Bragen's hat on the desk) I would like a hat like that.
PRINCESS: I wouldn't. I like my hat just fine.
DOCTOR: Yes, you do have a point.
BRAGEN: Well, what do you want?
(The Princess leans down on the table.)
PRINCESS: You know what we want. The Daleks, gone.
DOCTOR: We're more curious about what it is that you want.
BRAGEN: And why should I tell you?
PRINCESS: You know, Bragen, I think I'm a very easy-going kind of girl this time around. But if there's one thing I will never stand, it's threats to my friends. Now, I'm not going to ask you to read this note and waste all our time, because we both know you wrote it.
BRAGEN: I haven't the faintest–
PRINCESS: Quiet!
(The Princess' eyes flash with a furious golden glow and Bragen jumps in his seat.)
PRINCESS: Now, being the reasonable lady that I am, I'm going to give you the chance to do the right thing. Let Polly go. Let her go, and I'll do everything in my power to save you from the Daleks.
BEN: (Muttering) Which is more than you deserve.
DOCTOR: I'd listen to her if I were you, Bragen. The alternative is far worse.
BRAGEN: The Daleks are under my control.
BEN: You're dreaming, mate.
PRINCESS: Even if that were true–
DOCTOR: Which it isn't.
PRINCESS: There are worse things than death, Bragen. I hope you don't make me prove that to you.
BRAGEN: Is that all? Or have you any other wild allegations you'd like to throw at me?
DOCTOR: No. No, I think that's all for now. Come along, you two, we've work to do.
BRAGEN: Remember–
DOCTOR: Stay away from the Daleks, yes, yes, we know.
(Before the Doctor, Princess and Ben can leave, a Dalek, unarmed, enters, carrying a try with a single glass of water on it. The time travellers quickly part, allowing the Dalek to move in between them.)
DOCTOR: (To Dalek) So, they've given you the run of the colony, have they?
DALEK: We obey. (To Bragen) Do I bring liquid for your visitors?
BRAGEN: No. They were just leaving.
DOCTOR: So, we were.
BEN: Yeah, it's getting a little crowded in here anyway.
(The Doctor, Princess and Ben exit the office.)
(A short while later, the Doctor, Princess and Ben are making their way down a corridor.)
BEN: But what are we going to do about finding Polly? I mean, if Bragen is involved, he's not just going to hand her over.
PRINCESS: We'll just have to search for her ourselves.
DOCTOR: Yes, we can't trust anyone else to do it for us. And every second spent looking for Polly, is one more the Daleks have to advance their plans.
(Up ahead, Ben spots a large man by the notice board. He's reading something, but when he notices Ben staring at him, he quickly leaves.)
BEN: Here, Doctor, Princess, did you see…
(At that moment three unarmed Daleks come around the corner in single file and glide towards them. The time travellers quickly stand aside, as the three Daleks glide past and on up the corridor.)
DOCTOR: It's madness!
BEN: What is?
DOCTOR: Letting them run around like this.
PRINCESS: It gives them the perfect opportunity to accesses the communications and summon more of them here.
DOCTOR: If that is there plan.
BEN: Hey, wait a minute… Bragen had one acting as a servant, and we've just left him.
DOCTOR: One Dalek in Bragen's office…
PRINCESS: And three Daleks that just past us…
DOCTOR: That makes four!
BEN: Where did the fourth one come from?
DOCTOR: Well, Lesterson can't have been making them. Perhaps there were more in the capsule than we thought.
PRINCESS: But there were only three.
DOCTOR: In the chamber we entered, yes. But we never went beyond that, did we.
PRINCESS: No…
BEN: We must go and see Lesterson. And show him the note. Maybe he or Janley knows where Polly is.
PRINCESS: I doubt it. Bragen said himself Lesterson has no idea about anything outside his laboratory.
BEN: All right, but what about Janley?
PRINCESS: I suppose it's possible.
BEN: Well, it's better than nothing, come on, let's go.
PRINCESS: Oh, I can finally get my hat back!
(Ben leads the way, rolling his eyes as the Doctor and Princess follow him. However, when he reaches the notice board, he spots the large man from before lingering at the end of the corridor. Upon being spotted, he quickly runs off again.)
BEN: That's strange. We've frightened him off. (Looks at the notice board) I wonder what the fascination of this notice board is?
(The Doctor and Princess join Ben at the notice board.)
DOCTOR: It looks like a perfectly ordinary notice board to me.
PRINCESS: (Pointing at one of the notices) Except for that one.
DOCTOR: Why, what's wrong with it?
PRINCESS: Well, it's like that other one I saw before. It doesn't make any sense when you read it.
DOCTOR: Oh, yes, I see what you mean.
BEN: Yeah, well, come on, you two. We must find out who's got Polly.
(Ben starts heading to the corridor to Lesterson's laboratory, the Doctor goes to follow, but then realises the Princess is lingering at the board.)
DOCTOR: Princess?
PRINCESS: (Staring at the notice board) It's on the tip of my tongue… It's not crossword… I can see the crossword answers before I've written them … No, it's a…
BEN: Hey, Doctor, Princess, come on!
(The Princess snaps from trace like state. She then follows Ben and the Doctor as they head towards Lesterson's laboratory. Once they're gone, the large man returns to the notice board.)
(The Doctor, Princess and Ben enter Lesterson's laboratory, where Lesterson is stood with Janley.)
PRINCESS: Now, where's my hat?
(Hearing the Princess, Lesterson and Janley look over.)
LESTERSON: (Shakily) I told the guard that no one was to be allowed in.
DOCTOR: Accord every access, remember?
BEN: We're looking for Polly.
(The Princess looks around the floor.)
PRINCESS: And my hat.
LESTERSON: Well, she isn't here, and I haven't seen her.
PRINCESS: What about my hat?
LESTERSON: No–No, I haven't seen that either.
(The Princess stops looking for her hat and stares at Lesterson curiously.)
BEN: Well, Polly's been kidnapped.
LESTERSON: Sounds a little unlikely.
BEN: Oh, it does, does it? Well, we've got this note which tells us so. Show 'em, Princess.
LESTERSON: I'm very sorry, but I don't know anything about it.
PRINCESS: Are you all right, Lesterson?
LESTERSON: Of course, I am, why wouldn't I be?
PRINCESS: Well, you're speaking funny.
LESTERSON: What do you mean?
PRINCESS: It's almost like you're…scared.
LESTERSON: Scared? Preposterous, what have I to be scared of?
(The Princess looks to the Doctor, who subtly nods. Meanwhile, Lesterson looks uneasily at Janley, who narrows her eyes at him, annoyed.)
DOCTOR: You haven't been building Daleks, have you, Lesterson?
LESTERSON: Building? No, I wouldn't know how to begin.
DOCTOR: And there were only three in the capsule?
LESTERSON: Yes.
DOCTOR: You've been further in, have you?
LESTERSON: Yes, I checked the chamber beyond and there was nothing in there.
DOCTOR: Well, we've just seen four. One in the Governor's office and three in the corridor.
LESTERSON: (Shocked) But that's not possible.
DOCTOR: There's only one explanation. The Daleks are reproducing themselves.
JANLEY: These things are machines. How could they reproduce?
DOCTOR: Machines? What makes you think they're just machines? The Daleks are brilliant engineers. Nothing is beyond them given the right materials.
LESTERSON: What…?
DOCTOR: I said nothing is beyond them given the right materials.
(Lesterson is short of breath suddenly.)
PRINCESS: Lesterson? What is it, what's the matter?
(Lesterson sits down in one of the chairs, hands covering his face. Janley quickly join him, pushing the Princess back.)
JANLEY: Leave him alone. He's just been overworking, that's all.
BEN: Well, he looks bad.
JANLEY: Will you all just go away. Guard!
PRINCESS: Lesterson, if it involves the Daleks, you must tell us.
JANLEY: I told you to leave him alone. It's you, badgering him with questions. You've done nothing but hound him ever since you arrived on Vulcan.
PRINCESS: Because he wouldn't listen to us!
DOCTOR: But perhaps he's finally realising…
(A pair of guards enter the room.)
JANLEY: (To Guards) Bragen's orders were that no one was to be admitted.
GUARD: Yes, but I thought that the Examiners–
JANLEY: They attacked Lesterson. Get them out of here. All of them.
BEN: No, they didn't!
PRINCESS: That's a lie!
JANLEY: Out, do you hear!
(The guards grab the time travellers and begin ushering them towards the doors.)
BEN: All right, all right.
PRINCESS: If you happen to find my hat, could you let me know, Lesterson!
(The guards shove the time travellers out the door.)
DOCTOR: We're beginning to make a habit of this. Same time tomorrow, gentlemen. (The guards glare at them all) Or perhaps not.
(The Doctor quietly leads the Princess and Ben away.)
(The Doctor, Princess and Ben are once again walking through the corridor with the notice board.)
BEN: Well, we're still no nearer to finding Polly.
DOCTOR: No. But perhaps we're finally making progress with Lesterson. If we can just talk to him without anyone else interrupting, then maybe we can convince him…
(The Princess stops at the notice board once more, while the Doctor and Ben continue on up the corridor.)
BEN: But how are you going to get him alone? Those guards won't let you in again. And that assistant, Janley, clearly didn't want us near him.
DOCTOR: I wonder why?
PRINCESS: I've got it!
(The Doctor and Ben turn back, realising they've left the Princess by the notice board.)
BEN: She's got what?
DOCTOR: I don't know.
(The Doctor and Ben walk back to the notice board, where the Princess is pointing at the notice from before.)
PRINCESS: It makes sense now!
BEN: What does?
PRINCESS: This notice. Before I couldn't understand it, but now I do. It's encoded.
DOCTOR: A coded message?
PRINCESS: Yes! You take the capital letters from each sentence, see?
BEN: Oh, I can't do crosswords.
PRINCESS: But it's not a crossword, it's a code, Ben.
BEN: Well, what's it say?
DOCTOR: Meeting tonight, twenty-hundred hours, in storage room P.
BEN: All right, so there's some meeting in some room later on, but what good's that to us?
PRINCESS: It must be the rebels' way of communicating with each other.
BEN: So what?
DOCTOR: We've heard a lot about these rebels. I think it's time we saw them for ourselves.
PRINCESS: Perhaps we're closer to finding Polly than you think, Ben.
(Ben doesn't seem confident.)
(That night, in a large and dark storage room, behind stacks of boxes, the Doctor, Princess and Ben are sat, waiting. The Doctor and Princess are playing a game of cards, while Ben is rubbing at leg.)
BEN: (Quietly) Ow. I've got pins and needles now.
PRINCESS: (Quietly) Try standing up.
BEN: What if someone comes in?
PRINCESS: Ah, good point, don't stand up. Stretch your leg out.
BEN: There's not exactly a lot of room back here.
(The Princess takes Ben's leg and guides it so that it is stretched out across her crossed legs.)
PRINCESS: There, now shush. I'm trying to think.
DOCTOR: (Quietly) What's the time?
BEN: Time we went home.
PRINCESS: I said shush.
(The sound of a door opening.)
PRINCESS: Oh, what now?!
DOCTOR: It's the rebels.
(The Princess quickly picks up the cards and puts them away, before looking through the gaps in boxes along with the Doctor and Ben. They see many people entering the room and gathering around. Janley is in the centre, with a box in hand. Another figure, one obscured by the shadows, takes a seat in the dark at the edge of the room. Another man – Valmar – pushes an unarmed Dalek into the room. Setting the box down on the table, Janley takes out a Dalek weapon, before handing it to Valmar. Valmar, then inserts the weapon into the appropriate slot on the Dalek.)
PRINCESS: (Hissing) Are they mad, it'll kill them all!
DOCTOR: (Hissing) Shh!
JANLEY: (To room) Now, we're going to demonstrate something. You section leaders can pass on what you've seen. So far, we've been concerned with testing the strength of the Governor with a few acts of sabotage. But now we're ready to take over.
KEBBLE: What is that thing? I've seen them moving about, but all we've been told is that it's a machine Lesterson discovered.
JANLEY: Valmar.
VALMAR: Lesterson removed the armaments of the Daleks he discovered. I've rearmed this one, but with a controlling device. (He holds up a remote) We can regulate the fire power and turn it off and on whenever we choose.
JANLEY: Shall we have the demonstration now?
(The man in the chair nods.)
BEN: (Quietly) That's the one we want. He must be the boss of this outfit.
(From behind a stack of shelves, Janley wheels out a screen.)
JANLEY: This screen is two-inch-thick tungsten steel. Right, Valmar.
VALMAR: (To Dalek) Fire at the screen.
(The Dalek fires its weapon at the screen, shattering it as if it were a window. The rebels all gasp in shock.)
JANLEY: Quiet! You must keep quiet. We're too vulnerable here.
KEBBLE: But you can't control a thing like that, it'll turn on us.
JANLEY: No, it won't!
KEBBLE: I wouldn't let any of my group go anywhere near it.
VALMAR: I can control it.
KEBBLE: Prove it! Ah, you daren't. I'm not talking about that thing firing at the wall or bits of metal or anything. I mean people. Have you tested whether you can stop it from killing people? Our people?
VALMAR: Look, I can show you what I've done here.
KEBBLE: Forget it. How do you know a Dalek can tell the difference between the Governor's people and our people?
VALMAR: But I can tell the difference, you fool, and I control it.
KEBBLE: We want something better than words.
JANLEY: Test it on me. Will that satisfy you?
KEBBLE: Well yes, but…
BEN: (Quietly) She's out of her mind.
PRINCESS: (Quietly) It'll kill her.
BEN: Do we stop it?
DOCTOR: (Quietly) We couldn't even if we tried.
(The time travellers remain put, as Janley stands before the Dalek.)
VALMAR: (To man in chair) Is it all right?
(The man in the chair gestured to continue with a wave of his hand. Janley is suddenly very nervous, as is Valmar.)
VALMAR: (Nervous) Now, when I tell you to fire…
DALEK: I am your servant.
(Valmar presses a button on the remote in his hand. The Dalek fires its weapon, but nothing happens to Janley. Further commotion from the rebels as both Janley and Valmar sigh in relief.)
JANLEY: (To room) Get back to your places.
KEBBLE: Are you, all right?
JANLEY: Of course. I don't take needless risks.
VALMAR: Oh, well done, Janley.
BEN: (Quietly) You don't think that remote thin actually works, do you?
DOCTOR: (Quietly) Of course not. The Dalek's just playing them for fools.
JANLEY: (To room) Now, what about the girl?
KEBBLE: We've got her safely locked up, never fear.
JANLEY: I think the best thing for us to do is to take the body–
BEN: (Quietly) Hear that? Maybe they'll say where she is.
(Ben moves, knocking over a box in the process. The rebels hear it and jump, before looking around for the source of the noise.)
JANLEY: Who's there?!
BEN: (Quietly) You both stay there, I'll distract them. Find out where Polly is.
PRINCESS: (Hissing) Ben, no!
(The Princess tries to grab Ben, but he runs out into the open before she can. The Doctor then pulls her back behind the boxes, preventing her from following.)
BEN: Help! Help!
(Kebble, the large man, quickly knocks Ben out with a punch to the face.
JANLEY: The guards will have heard that! Come on, we've got to get out of here! Take him and lock him up! Quick! Out!
(Janley, and the rebels race out as Kebble and Valmar carry Ben between them. The room is quickly emptied, with the exception of the Doctor, Princess, Dalek and the man in the chair.)
BRAGEN: You might as well come out. We know you're there.
(The Princess looks to the Doctor who nods. Both then stand up and come out from behind the stack of boxes. Doing so allows them to see Bragen in the chair. The Doctor and Princess move to stand before him and the Dalek.)
DOCTOR: Bragen.
BRAGEN: Of course. Who else is fitted to be leader of the rebels?
DOCTOR: No doubt you want to be leader of the Daleks too.
BRAGEN: I am the leader of the Daleks.
(The Dalek begins advancing towards the Doctor and Princess.)
DOCTOR: Well, see if you can stop this one from killing us.
(The Dalek fires its weapon and the Doctor and Princess quickly dive out of the way.)
BRAGEN: Stop!
(The Dalek turns around, following the Doctor and Princess who have scurried across the floor and behind Bragen. Both back on their feet, the Doctor and Princess poke their heads out from behind Bragen's chair, seeing the Dalek facing them.)
BRAGEN: You heard me, that's an order.
PRINCESS: And a servant follows orders, remember, Dalek?
(The Dalek stares at them, to which the Princess and Doctor shrink back behind Bragen.)
BRAGEN: Ignore her. Turn away. Fetch the guard.
DALEK: I…obey.
(The Dalek slowly turns away and then leaves the room. Once it has, the Doctor and Princess step out from behind the chair, stood before Bragen again.)
DOCTOR: You hope to have it both ways, Bragen. But how will you look in front of the Governor, when we explain your dual role to him?
BRAGEN: The Governor will hardly listen to a pair of impostors.
PRINCESS: But you think he'll listen to a murderer?
BRAGEN: You can't prove that, while I can prove that you're both imposters.
PRINCESS: Really? How do you plan on doing that?
BRAGEN: My men have just pulled the real Examiner's body from the mercury swamp. Once I have some form of identification planted on the body, I'll convince the governor you were working with Quinn.
DOCTOR: That is a good plan.
PRINCESS: It is isn't. All we have is a button.
(At that moment, the Dalek returns with Janley and two guards.)
BRAGEN: Take these two away. Detain them.
(The Doctor and Princess are each grabbed by a guard.)
DOCTOR: You know, now that I think about it, we haven't done a proper examination of the cell block yet, have we?
PRINCESS: Oh, haven't we? Why don't we go and see it now?
DOCTOR: Splendid, I was just thinking the same thing. (To Guards) I don't suppose you two chaps know the way.
(The guards silently take the Doctor and Princess from the room, all while the Dalek watches them.)
(After being taken down some stairs, the Doctor and Princess find themselves in a long corridor with prison cells on either side. They're all empty, except for one, which houses Quinn. The guards escort the Doctor and Princess up to the cell next to Quinn. One guard then unlocks the cell, by running his finger around the lock. Doing so creates a ringing noise, as the door then slides open. The Doctor and Princess step inside, before the door then closes behind them.)
PRINCESS: Excuse me?
GUARD: What is it?
PRINCESS: Instead of getting a phone call, could I get my hat back instead? It's in Lesterson's laboratory.
(The Guards walk away, without another word.)
PRINCESS: I'm sorry, is that a yes or a no on the hat?
QUINN: (Irritated) You're the last person I expected to see here.
PRINCESS: Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you.
QUINN: What are you talking about?
PRINCESS: You mean you didn't check your pocket?
QUINN: My pocket?
PRINCESS: For my card? I slipped you it when I hugged you in the hall.
QUINN: Oh, that's what that was. Yes, I've got it here.
PRINCESS: The ace of spades.
QUINN: Five of clubs actually.
PRINCESS: Drat.
QUINN: And what was I supposed to do with this?
PRINCESS: Use it to pick the lock, I don't know.
(Quinn groans angrily.)
DOCTOR: That wouldn't work, my dear. These locks are undone by sound.
QUINN: If you'd both listened to me in the first place, you wouldn't be locked up here now.
DOCTOR: Well, your imprisonment hasn't been entirely wasted. It's brought your enemy out into the open.
QUINN: Bragen? I've known that all along.
DOCTOR: Yes. But did you know that he was the leader of the rebels?
QUINN: Bragen, the leader?
DOCTOR: Now, let's see if I can find it.
(The Doctor begins searching through his pockets.)
QUINN: Hensell's trouble is he thinks he can run this colony on his personality alone.
DOCTOR: But even if he knew of the danger, could he do anything? The rebels are well organised.
QUINN: The Governor's popular. He can count on the mine workers at the perimeter for support.
DOCTOR: In that case we must get word to him. Perhaps you can send him a card, Princess.
QUINN: If you'd done your job properly, Examiners, you wouldn't be here now, and I'd have been out too.
DOCTOR: Ah yes, but then, we're not the real Examiner. (The Doctor takes a dog whistle out from his pocket) Ah ha!
(The Doctor blows on the dog whistle. When nothing happens, he tries adjusting the pitch of the whistle.)
PRINCESS: You see, us and our friends, Ben and Polly, we're just travellers. We happened to land here at the same time as the examiner. He was lost, and we were lost, and we just happened to meet each other. Then almost immediately he was murdered, and we assumed his identity.
QUINN: But who murdered him?
PRINCESS: Bragen.
(The Doctor is still trying different pitches with the dog whistle, but none are working.)
QUINN: Everything leads back to Bragen then. Just give me a chance get my hands on him.
PRINCESS: I wouldn't worry about him. He's dug his own grave.
QUINN: What do you mean?
DOCTOR: He's made some very nasty friends, to put it simply. But if we don't get out of here, and find a way to stop the Daleks, then we'll be sharing his fate.
QUINN: There's just the little matter of the cell doors.
(The Doctor tries his whistle once more. The doors don't open, but a dog does bark in the distance.)
PRINCESS: Aw! You have dogs on this planet!
QUINN: Is this really the time?
PRINCESS: Well, the dog might be able to help us escape.
(Quinn sighs)
PRINCESS: (To Doctor) I don't think he approves of the dog whistle approach.
DOCTOR: No. You don't happen to have a jug of water on you?
PRINCESS: Would you believe I left it in my hat?
DOCTOR: That's all right. Guard! Guard!
(A guard comes over to their cell.)
DOCTOR: May we have some water…